Yes, with an international driving permit alongside it. Sweden, Norway and Denmark are all parties to the 1968 Vienna Convention, so the 1968 booklet — the three-year one — is the model that matches Thailand's position for all three. Where the countries differ is entirely at home: Sweden and Norway issue through motoring organisations, Denmark issues over the counter at any municipal borgerservice, and the Danish default is the one-year 1949 model unless you say otherwise.
How permits work in general, and how Thailand handles foreign licences, are set out in the full IDP guide and which licence Thailand recognises. This page is the Nordic answer: the treaty position for each country, where to apply in each, and the one thing that will not translate — your moped entitlement.
- Convention that appliesThe 1968 Vienna Convention — Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland are all parties, as is Thailand
- Booklet to ask forThe 1968 model, valid three years. The 1949 runs one year
- NorwayNAF, KNA or MA. NAF currently reports NOK 240 for members, NOK 320 otherwise
- SwedenM Sverige, KAK, MHF and other authorised bodies. A few hundred kronor
- DenmarkIn person at any kommune's borgerservice — ask for 1968
- IcelandDifferent: a 1949 party only, so an Icelandic licence takes the 1949 booklet
Why the Nordic answer is 1968
Thailand is a party to both United Nations road traffic conventions — the 1949 Geneva one since 1962, and the 1968 Vienna one with effect from 1 May 2021. Sweden, Norway and Denmark are all parties to both: Norway and Sweden ratified the 1968 Convention in 1985, Denmark in 1986, and Finland is in the same position. Where two states are both parties to the 1968 Convention, that convention governs their relations, and the 1968 permit is the matching document.
Iceland is the exception worth knowing about, because it gets grouped into "the Nordics" constantly and does not belong here. Iceland acceded to the 1949 Convention in 1983 and never joined the 1968 one — so an Icelandic licence holder takes a 1949 booklet to Thailand, for the same reason an American does.
The provision that decides it
Article 48 of the 1968 Convention terminates and replaces the 1949 Convention "in relations between the Contracting Parties" to 1968. Between Thailand and Sweden, Norway, Denmark or Finland, the 1968 rules apply. Between Thailand and a state that never joined 1968 — the United States, Canada, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, Iceland — the 1949 Convention still governs.
The Danish embassy in Bangkok states that permits issued under both conventions are valid for driving in Thailand, which is consistent: Thailand is bound by both. The 1968 model is simply the one that matches Denmark's own treaty position, and it lasts three years instead of one.
Norway: NAF, KNA or MA
NAF issues both models and is explicit about the difference: the 1949 permit runs for one year, the 1968 permit for three. Current prices are reported at NOK 240 for members and NOK 320 for non-members, with an extra charge for postage if you order online rather than collecting. Ordering online takes around ten to fourteen working days; NAF's centres can issue on the spot but warn of queues between May and September. KNA and MA also issue.
NAF's own reminder is the right one to carry: the permit is only a translation of your Norwegian licence, so the Norwegian card must always be with you too. That is a rule of the Convention, not a courtesy — an international permit is issued only to the holder of a domestic one and is void once the domestic one expires.
Sweden: several authorised issuers
Sweden spreads the job across several organisations rather than one: M Sverige (formerly Motormännen), KAK, MHF, OK, Sveriges MotorCyklister and the Caravan Club are among those authorised. M Sverige takes applications through its own app, by post, or by email with a photograph, with postal handling of five to ten working days and longer in the busy months. Prices vary by issuer, membership and urgency — from a couple of hundred kronor for a member on the standard service to considerably more for express handling.
Denmark: the borgerservice, and the model to ask for
Denmark is the odd one out procedurally. The international permit is issued by the municipal borgerservice, in person, at any kommune in the country rather than only your own. FDM also issues. The fee is small — reported in the tens of kroner rather than the hundreds.
The catch is the default. Danish municipal pages typically describe the international permit as valid for one year, which is the 1949 model. Denmark is a 1968 party and the 1968 model matches Thailand's position and lasts three times as long, so ask for it specifically. Either will get you along a Thai road — the Danish embassy says both are valid there — but there is no reason to buy a one-year document when a three-year one exists.
The embassy is also clear about the underlying position: "Man kan ikke lovligt føre motorkøretøj i Thailand med et dansk kørekort uden også at have et gyldigt internationalt dansk kørekort." A Danish licence alone is not enough. And for longer stays: "Har du fast bopæl i Thailand eller opholder du dig i landet længere end tre måneder, skal dit danske kørekort ombyttes til et thailandsk."
The moped entitlement that does not travel
All three countries have a light two-wheeler category — the Swedish and Norwegian AM, the Danish knallertkørekort — and none of it survives the trip. The conventions have exactly one motorcycle class, category A, with no small-engine sub-division, so there is nothing to write into your booklet on the strength of a moped entitlement.
Thailand then removes the last possible argument. On joining the Convention it declared under Article 54(2) that it treats mopeds as motorcycles. The 110cc automatic that every rental shop in Phuket and on Koh Samui will offer you is a motorcycle, it needs category A, and category A comes only from A1, A2 or A on your national licence. A car licence does not cover it, whatever the shop asks for. The Thai motorbike licence and engine sizes covers this in full.
The fine is small; the insurance is not. Thailand's statutory maximum for driving without a licence is around ฿1,000 — roughly 260 kroner. What costs money is the clause in your travel policy conditioning any driving or riding claim on your having held the right entitlement, applied regardless of whether Thai police ever stopped you. Nordic policies are not uniform on two-wheelers, so read the motorcycle section of your own forsikringsvilkår or försäkringsvillkor before you fly. What voids your motorbike cover in Thailand lists the exclusions that recur, and medical evacuation insurance covers the largest bills.
Living there rather than visiting
Article 41(6) lets a state decline to recognise a foreign permit held by someone normally resident there — the real reason long-stayers convert, and it lines up with what the Danish embassy says about stays beyond three months. How to get a Thai driving licence covers the process; the residence certificate is usually the slowest step.
Frequently asked questions
Which model should I ask for — 1949 or 1968?
1968, if you hold a Swedish, Norwegian, Danish or Finnish licence. It matches your country's treaty position and lasts three years rather than one. An Icelandic licence is the exception: the 1949 booklet is right there.
How long is the permit valid in Thailand?
Three years for the 1968 model, one year for the 1949 model, and never beyond the expiry of your national licence. The widely repeated claim that an IDP lasts only 90 days in Thailand has no statutory or Department of Land Transport basis that we could find, and appears in neither convention.
I have a moped licence. Can I ride a scooter in Thailand?
No. Moped categories are national and have no equivalent in either convention, so there is nothing to put in the booklet. Thailand treats mopeds as motorcycles, meaning even the smallest hire scooter requires category A. Get A1 at home first if you intend to ride.
Do Finnish drivers follow the same rules?
Yes. Finland ratified the 1968 Convention in 1985, so a Finnish licence takes the 1968 booklet exactly as a Swedish, Norwegian or Danish one does.